Coaches

Ray Gilbert

Year Inducted: 1990

Category: Coaches

Schools / Organizations:
Morrison High School

Biography: Ray Gilbert was a high school boys’ basketball coach for 26 years.  He spent 4 seasons as a freshman/sophomore coach and 22 as a head varsity coach.  Ray served 19 seasons as varsity coach at Morrison Community High School where his teams were 278-198.  His overall varsity record was 316-218.  His best season came as coach at Colesburg, IA.  in 1957-58 when the club was 28-1.  At Morrison, Gilbert’s teams won 7 IHSA Regionals, 1 IHSA Sectional and in 1977 was a member of the IHSA Elite 8.  His teams captured 3 conference crowns.  In 1977, Ray was the IBCA District VII Coach of the Year.  A former Morrison superintendent, Richard Fluck says of Gilbert:  “Mr. Gilbert was not only a coach but he was an outstanding teacher, counselor, leader, and model for students at Morrison High School.  His personal demeanor and coaching skills alone, I feel, made him not only an outstanding basketball coach but the type of educator and coach a parent could speak of with pride and feel they had placed their child in the best hands available for the child’s development.  Ray is not only highly respected by parents, students and teaching colleagues, but is also a coach’s coach and receives their respect and admiration.  He has on more than one occasion given assistance and encouragement to beginning coaches.”